


Night Lights

by black_tea



Series: Axis Mundi [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, M/M, Mystery, Omegaverse, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!Scully, male!Scully, omega!Mulder, preslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-17 05:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8132543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_tea/pseuds/black_tea
Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate supposed UFO sightings in a Midwestern town, but mysterious flying objects are just the beginning. The locals are spooked by a more terrestrial threat and the police are no longer buying the townspeople's stories. ***Is set shortly before 'Long Shadows'***





	1. No Longer Fun and Games

**Author's Note:**

> I've been on a total writing binge this weekend, so you all get more of this X-Files AU.

“Are you sure we're going the right way?” Scully peered out the window. The landscape was certainly attractive with fields and trees bathed in golden light. It was that turning point in the year where summer began to yield to the inevitable in a shifting of light, color and sound announcing that fall was right around the corner. However, as pretty as it all was, Scully would prefer to know where the heck they were.

“Pretty sure. You know how detours can be. It might be the longer rout, but at least we aren't stuck in traffic.” 

“Hmm. This is very scenic, but what are we really doing out here? If you keep chasing UFOs, you could end up out of a job.” This had become one of Scully's chief concerns. As infuriating as Mulder could be at times, Scully rather liked him and was genuinely worried about his future in the FBI. 

“Do I look worried?” Mulder asked, not sounding remotely concerned.

A sign flashed by indicating that they were in fact on the right road. “You look a little too happy about this.”

“What's not to be happy about? Unexplained objects in the night sky, sightings of a strange being. Aren't you just a little bit curious?”

Scully shifted in his seat. “The creature is either a hoax or an exaggerated story of an animal sighting. Strange lights could be almost anything.”

“See, that's why we need to go and find out. Why rely on rumor when you can go to the source?”

“If you say so. According to that mile marker we only have about twenty minutes.” 

The afternoon was beginning to wane by the time they passed a sign welcoming them to Rosewood. Rosewood was less than impressive at first as the main road took them through a strip of fast food restaurants, a couple big box stores and a collection of various smaller establishments sprawled out amongst their gray and lifeless parking lots. However, once past the strip, they began to pass modest but attractive homes, antique shops, an elementary school and a spruce little country church all shaded by venerable looking trees.

“We're looking for Tremont Ave.” Mulder said, checking out the driver side window while Scully looked out the right. “Here we are.” They turned down a street lined with a mixture of older houses in amongst newcomers who had been built as the larger lots had been split up. Number 39 Tremont was of the older variety. Two stories with gingerbread around the ample porch. It even had a swing. Scully couldn't help but smile at the sight of it.

The man that opened the door was around Scully's height, late forties to early fifties with slightly thinning hair and wire rimmed glasses. A little worn, but comfortable much like the swing with its inviting yet faded cushions. His pleasant smile grew bigger when he inhaled and realized that the two men on the porch holding FBI badges were alpha and omega. “Glad you could make it out this way. Come on in.” The omega, for that's what he clearly was, though mated, held the door for them.

“Thank you Mr. Stanley for talking to us.” Mulder replied.

“This way.” Stanley gestured to the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink? I have some iced tea.”

“Thank you.” Scully smiled, taking a seat at the round kitchen table, most likely an antique. A little pot of ivy spilled out over it's pot on the windowsill over the sink. Stanley stood on his toes to grab two glasses from a cupboard over the counter top.

“I work for the local Gazette and periodically write columns for the paper over in Milton,” he said, setting the glasses down. He sat down and looked at Scully for a moment. “See, I know that look. You're trying to be polite, but are wondering how I can go in for this alien stuff while working for a respectable paper.” He smiled to show there were no hard feelings.

“The truth is, I don't know what's going on, just that people are getting more and more on edge around here. My daughter, Kristin just left for her freshman year in college last weekend, and I'm actually glad she isn't in town right now.” Stanley's expression became more serious.

“The UFO sightings have people that worked up?” Mulder asked.

Stanley sighed. “That's just part of it. If it were just people seeing some funny lights, it would be a big deal for a little while until something else came along or high school football started up. It all began back in April. The Cobber boys – a couple of teenagers, though good sorts, claimed that they were hanging out with a few friends one night and saw strange lights up in the sky that didn't move like any kind of helicopter or airplane. People wrote it off at first, but as the weather got nicer and folks started camping out and spending evenings outside, more sightings were reported. That's when I took an interest in the story. One witness was an out of towner on a fishing trip who wouldn't have known all the local gossip. All the reports were fairly similar. This started up a lot of speculation.”

“Could it have been a weather balloon?” Scully asked, his mind turning over possibilities. 

“Not on all the nights in question. Believe me, that was one of my first thoughts too. But it gets stranger. Two months ago a man out walking his dog one night claimed to see some strange humanoid creature. He described it as roughly man shaped and dark, though it gave off a faint glow. Said it didn't move quite right for a man either. There have been two more sightings after that.”

“It could still be a hoax.” Scully volunteered. “None of that would be hard to fake, provided it was dark out and they were far enough away.”

Stanley nodded. “I don't disagree with you there. With all the excitement over UFOs, someone might've decided it was the perfect time for a practical joke. But,” he paused for dramatic effect. “It get's even weirder.”

“You don't say.” Mulder grinned.

“About three weeks ago the people who had been seeing things and wanting to talk about them, stopped talking. I tried to interview one woman, but she told me she couldn't talk to me – she had been told not to. She looked scared, and I know Betsy well enough to know that she isn't the type to scare easily. That's the part that bothers me and why I'm glad you're here. The police are stumped and tired of chasing after ghosts, and if people are being threatened by someone, then that needs to be addressed – it's not fun, games and practical jokes anymore.”

Mulder looked at him carefully and asked the same question that was on Scully's lips. “Mr. Stanley, has anyone threatened you? You are a reporter, it is your job to talk to people and tell stories.”

“Not exactly. I admit, I stopped going for evening walks alone. I started feeling like I was being watched or followed, but I never saw anyone. My mate's been away on a business trip the past three days and gets back tonight, and I'll feel a lot better when he's here. I can't believe I'm saying that.” He smiled, but it was slightly worried. “I've always felt safe here, known my neighbors, and now I don't like being out after dark.”

Scully dug in his pocket for a card. He quickly scribbled the number of the motel on it. “Here's where we can be reached. Please don't be afraid to contact us if you need to.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” His grateful expression tugged at Scully's heart.

“Can we get contact information for the woman you mentioned – Betsy?”

“Of course. It's Betsy Ross and she lives in the trailer park near the camp grounds. Number ten. If you can't find her there, she works as a waitress in the diner on Fourth and Main. I'd suggest you go there anyway. The foods good. She usually closes, and it's pretty quiet there then.”

They walked back through the living room, and Scully paused to look at a picture on the mantel of Mr. Stanley, his mate and daughter all smiling at the camera. Kristin was wearing a cap and gown. He wondered what it would be like to be so settled. Mulder was suddenly very much in his personal space, a favorite tactic for getting Scully's attention. They walked out, Mulder turning to shake Stanley's hand.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Stanley. We'll be in touch.”

* * *

After settling into the motel whose information they had given to Stanley, a nondescript but clean little place next to a Waffle House and a gas station, they decided to give Betsy a visit at her place of work. The Main Street Cafe was a mix of old and new. The linoleum floor was scuffed and past it's prime, but the building still had it's original tin ceiling. The booths that ran along one wall were old and dated looking, but everything was well kept.

Dinner rush was waning down when they snagged a booth across from the counter. By the time they had finished eating, the other customers had drifted off leaving them alone with who they assumed was Betsy. She was a tall woman nearing middle age with her brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. Beautiful didn't quite fit her, but she had an appealing look all the same. 

“Are you two from around here? I don't think I've seen you before, and I'm usually pretty good with faces.” She smiled at them from behind the counter she was wiping down. “We have a lot of long time customers here, and you get to know everyone after awhile.”

“Oh, we're here on some business.” Mulder replied. “You're Betsy Ross, right?”

At the use of her name, the woman stiffened, and she eyed them cautiously. “Now why would you be wanting Betsy?”

“We were just told that you knew a lot about what's been going on around here with the UFO sightings.” He assured her.

Mulder's friendly tone and demeanor did not seem to have the desired effect. Her face became set. “I don't know who told you that, but I don't know anything.” Her adamant denial suggested the opposite.

Scully spoke up. “Ma'am I'm Daniel Scully and this is Fox Mulder. We're with the FBI.” He dug out his badge and flipped it open to show her. She slowly came around the counter, looking like she might bolt at any moment. She peered at the badge for a moment and at Mulder and Scully who were both doing there best to look inoffensive.

“You really are with the FBI.” She sounded a little surprised. “Sorry, but there's been some strange things going on, and it's better not to take things at face value.”

“I completely understand.” Scully replied, sliding over so she could sit down, which she did after a moment's hesitation.

She inhaled deeply. “OK, you don't smell like him.”

“Oh?” Mulder looked at her curiously. “Is this a good thing?”

She nodded. “I think so, yes. I'm sorry. I wouldn't be talking to anybody about this at all, but since you're with the FBI and all... look, I like to talk. It's part of my job, the reason people like to come in and sit at the counter. So I've been pretty free with the things I've seen and comparing notes with people. I was leaving work one night, and right before I got to my car, this man approaches me. He's dressed in a black suit and he's pretty nondescript. Tells me to keep my mouth shut about what I'd seen. I asked why? Said it didn't matter why, but if I kept talking he couldn't guarantee my safety. At first I thought it was some kind of prank, but he gave me the creeps. I'm a beta, but you probably already noticed that. I can usually tell if someone is alpha or omega, and I couldn't with him.”

She turned to Scully. “Not that I would've mistaken you for him, but your partner, maybe. It's hard to say. It was dark, there wasn't anything very distinguishing about him, and I was too nervous to be looking closely at his face.” She looked a little sheepish. “At first I wondered if he was with the government, like in all those conspiracy stories that go around, but if you two don't know anything about it...”

“You mean the men in black helicopters?” Mulder smiled. “We only have a rental car.” This pulled a smile from Betsy. “We didn't know anything about people being threatened until we got here. Do you know if it's been happening to other people?”

She sighed, staring down at the table top. “I-I can't say for sure. I mean, if people are scared to talk, then they aren't going to tell me about it. But I've noticed fewer people are willing to discuss the lights in the sky now and have gotten jumpier, I guess. If he threatened me, I don't know why he wouldn't target other people.”

“Did you report what happened to the police?” Scully asked, thinking this was probably more a matter for local law enforcement.

“Here's the problem...you've heard the story, 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf', right? Well, there's been so many reports of crazy things happening, it's getting difficult to be taken seriously. Plus, I was afraid if I went to the police, it might make things worse.”

“But you're talking to us.” Mulder pointed out.

“Sure, but you're a bit above our local police force, and I'm getting tired of looking over my shoulder all the time.”

Scully remembered what Mr. Stanley had said about Betsy typically being fearless. “If anybody threatens you, or you see anything strange or suspicious, this is the motel we're staying at. Please don't hesitate to contact us.”

“Thanks, Mr. Mulder, I will.”

“Oh, and if we wanted to see these strange lights, where would we go?” He had the temerity to grin at Scully while he asked.

“There's a nice area that people like to use for camping down off Route 32. It's near where I live, actually. It's only about fifteen minutes out, and there's less city lights. Whatever it is doesn't seem to like to hover over the town proper. It doesn't happen every night, though.”

“Maybe we'll get lucky.”

* * *

“What do you think, Mulder?” Scully asked as they got back in the car. “A hoax? Someone trying to extort people?”

“Could be military.” Mulder pointed out knowing full well that the military was not typically eager to share information with other government agencies.

Scully frowned. “I don't think there are any bases near here.”

“Maybe not, but if what's been happening here is of interest to them, they'll probably come nosing around,” he pointed out. 

“Do you really believe the military is going to go chasing after every would be tabloid headline?” Mulder didn't have to turn his head and look at the man to know the expression he was making. He could tell by the put upon tone of voice.

“That depends on what's causing the light show.” He smiled, not the least bit deterred by his partner's lack of enthusiasm. 

“Still, if someone is impersonating a government agent,” Scully mused, “we definitely have reason to be here.”

“Since there's a particular area that seems to be an epicenter for what's going on around here, I think we should check it out. Tell me Scully, how do you feel about camping?”

* * *

“Is this really necessary?” Scully asked as they trudged back to the car carrying sleeping bags, flashlights and a small cooler to stash food in.

“Don't worry, it's on the FBI's tab.” Mulder fully expected to drag Scully along kicking and screaming, or snarking and complaining as the case may be, but that was OK The little alpha would survive, and it would be well worth it if they could actually get a look at the phenomenon. 

“That's one of the things I'm worried about, Mulder. You aren't exactly Mr. Popular over there, and I can't falsify my field reports. I don't want your job endangered because you went haring off looking for little green men.”

“How do you know they're green, Scully?” 

Scully gave him a look of such thorough exasperation, it was all Mulder could do not to laugh. “You said it yourself, we need to check out that area anyway.” 

“I didn't mean in the middle of the night.”

“But night is when the freaks come out, apparently.” He unlocked the trunk and they piled their supplies in. “The campground is also near Betsy's trailer park, and I wouldn't mind having a  
word with some of the neighbors, since they're right on top of ground zero.”

“I'm not going to disagree with you there.” Scully grudgingly agreed. 

“We can take a look around the area while it's still light, set up for the night, and tomorrow morning see if we can't talk to more of the locals.”

Scully slid into the car without further complaint, so Mulder figured he had given him enough of a 'rational' game plan to satisfy him. At least the weather was looking to be as nice as the day before. It wasn't hard to find the camp ground. It was a matter of following Zeitman Street until it turned into Rout 32 and then continuing on for about fifteen minutes until they passed the trailer park. Sitting just across and catty corner was a sign for 'Traveler's Rest' and a gravel drive. 

There was a parking area of sorts, all gravel and then an open field. Woods bordered the backside of the area while a less dense screen of trees and shrubs hid the field from the road. A piece of the woods curved around the far end and separated the open space from a neighbor's field. A wooden sign with an arrow pointing towards a path cleared through the woods read, 'Fishing.' All in all, the trees gave the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere even though they were fairly close to both the trailer park and the neighboring property.

“We can leave our stuff for right now. I want to look around the area a bit first, maybe go back by the lake.” 

Scully fell into step beside him then dropped back to walk behind on the trail which was narrow, if well maintained. They made their way down a gentle slope and up the other side where the ground flattened out again and became the shore of a mid sized lake surrounded by trees. Overhead the sky stretched nearly cloudless and with the intense blue of fall. It was mostly quiet, but every so often the sound of a radio would drift over from the far side of the lake. Mulder wasn't entirely certain what he was looking for, but if there had been that much UFO activity over the past five or so months, it wouldn't surprise him that there would be some effect on the surrounding area. 

Another trail branched off a little way along the rim of the lake and meandered back into the tangle of trees and brush. It seemed the lake itself was fairly well used by locals as well as the camp ground itself. If there was something to find, they would have found it long before Mulder and Scully arrived in town. They would need to move a bit away from high traffic areas. He gestured for Scully to follow and turned down the path. This one, though easy enough to keep track of, wasn't as well maintained, and the two men repeatedly ducked under branches and skirted prickly bushes.

“What are we looking for, Mulder?”

“Anything out of the ordinary that the locals wouldn't have run across.” He barely missed having his face stabbed by a branch that merely brushed harmlessly across the top of Scully's head. The smaller man grinned.

“Careful there.” 

“It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, huh?” 

“Mulder, wait a second.” Scully looked in through the trees and made a detour to the right that ran at a slight angle from the path they were following and opened up on a small clearing. “I would call this out of the ordinary.”


	2. Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder and Scully go looking for the mysterious lights.

Scully crouched down for a better look at the brown, wilted grass and then peered up at the surrounding trees. Much of their foliage facing in to the clearing was brown and withered despite the fact that the trees in the general area had barely started to turn. “Something's damaged the plant life. It's not been burned, it doesn't3 look like a fire or lightning strike, but it's as if it was exposed to a high enough heat to kill it.

He began snapping away with the camera that had been slung around his neck. Mulder pulled a plastic baggy out of his pocket and carefully collected samples of the grass and soil. “If somebody were trying to put on a light show, they could have had electronic apparatus.” Scully mused. 

“Out here?”

“Sure, if they had a portable generator.” Scully replied, trying to think of rational scenarios. Whatever had happened here, one thing was for certain, it wasn't aliens. However, Mulder wasn't going to be so easily convinced.

“It might cause some damage if it was heavy and put off heat, but not to this extent. Look how high up the trees it goes.” He stood craning his neck, squinting up towards the tree tops.

“OK, I will admit, it would help to see the lights – it might give some clue as to what caused this, if in fact, there is a connection.”

Mulder smiled cheerily. “See how things work out.”

“This doesn't mean there isn't a perfectly reasonable explanation.” Scully warned. He had worked with Mulder long enough to know the unfortunate direction the conversation was heading for.

“I didn't imply there wasn't.”

“A reasonable answer that doesn't involve extraterrestrial visitors.” Scully added sternly with hands on his narrow hips.

“But what if that _is_ the most reasonable answer?” Mulder asked, not easily deterred.

Scully sighed and summoned up every ounce of his patience. “That is never going to be a reasonable explanation. Please do not make me put that in another field report.” 

“You're worrying too much, Scully.” Mulder said as they picked their way back to the wider trail. 

Scully carefully disentangled the edge of his jacket from the grip of a thorn bush. “Someone needs to and since you won't...”

* * *

They set up camp more towards the road facing the woods. Not that camp was anything extravagant, since it consisted of two sleeping bags, a cooler and a folding chair. However, the pleasant weather meant they wouldn't need a tent or need to take shelter in the car. The sky was still pink around the edges while straight above them sprinklings of stars shown against a blue black backdrop. Scully sat cross legged on his sleeping bag eating a cheese sandwich while Mulder loaded batteries into the second flashlight.

“Hey there, camping neighbors,” a cheerful male voice called out and two figures appeared in the darkening field, moving in their direction.

“Oh hello.” Mulder replied. “Nice night.”

“It sure is. We won't have too many more like this once it starts heading on towards October.” The speaker was a stocky, middle aged man with a beard. With him was a companion of similar age, but taller and leaner. “Mind if we join you for a bit?”

“Not at all.” Mulder replied, pleased that a possible source of information had conveniently shown up. “I'm Fox Mulder and this is Daniel Scully.”

“I'm Henry and this is Bert. We live across the street, but the wives are having a girls' night, so we thought we'd come out here and give them their space.

“That way they can talk about us.” Bert added, seating himself on the ground. He opened the can he was carrying and took a swig. “I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather anyway. No point staying cooped up indoors.”

“We're not from around here, and heard something about UFOs.” Mulder said, shooting a quick glance at Scully who was eyeing him with a steady look.

“Well, this is the place.” Henry grinned. “I saw 'em about two months back. Three lights just dancing in the sky. Never seen anything like it. There's no telling if they'll turn up or not, but I was kind of hoping to see them again too.”

“I don't know.” Bert broke in, sounding a bit more dubious. “It was all exciting and fun in the beginning, but people have been acting funny since then – getting kind of paranoid.”

“Oh really? How so?” Mulder asked.

Henry seated himself with the air of a man about to tell a story. “Well you see, it started with Betsy, she's a neighbor of ours, real nice lady. But she's gotten jumpy of late and won't talk about what's been going on. Said it might not be safe. My wife couldn't make anything of it, but Georgia Blake, she lives in a little house on the other side of the trailer park, she started saying that some man in a dark suit came around threatening her if she didn't keep her mouth shut.”

“She's not exactly credible.” Bert broke in. “I mean, she won't use the grocery store discount cards because the government might use any information they collect. I can't see why the government would care what kind of bread you bought or if you eat too many cheese puffs.” He shrugged. “That one's just a bit batty.”

“However, as the saying goes, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you.” His friend pointed out.

“True.” Bert conceded. “And Betsy's always been as rock solid as they come.”

“Is it only women that have been threatened?” Scully finally spoke up, brushing crumbs off the front of his jacket. It was one of those moments when Mulder really appreciated Scully's presence. While his dogged skepticism could be frustrating at times, he came up with good questions.

“No, Spencer's uncle Jim had someone come around too. There might be others, but they might not want to admit to it, especially seeing how the police aren't interested in getting involved anymore. They think we're all as loony as Georgia B.”

Bert was thoughtful for a moment. “Come to think of it, though, Betsy and Georgia are both female and Jim's an omega. I don't know of any alphas that got approached and that kid of Cobber's was the first one to start blabbing about UFOs. Haven't heard anything about male betas either. Heh, Henry here, he couldn't shut up if you paid him.”

“Now now.” Henry gently admonished.

Bertie took a good look at Scully. “You now, you're a little guy for an alpha, so maybe this fella in the suit will make an exception.”

Scully just looked at him, a loss for words while Mulder tried his hardest not to laugh. “Maybe if we stick close together, he won't know who's who.” He joked. That caused the other two men to break into guffaws. 

“You're a funny one, Mr. Fox.” Henry grinned, clapping Mulder on the shoulder while Scully snickered. 

Mulder's eyes narrowed. “Hey, _Danny_ , can you toss me that bag?”

Scully looked honestly confused for a moment, not having been called Danny since he was a child, before grabbing a pack of sunflower seeds. For a second, Mulder thought he was about to take a bag of seeds to the head, but Scully handed them over with a sweet smile that Mulder took as being distinctly threatening.

“Whelp, we'll be getting back to our end of the field now, but if you need anything, just come on over. Maybe we'll get lucky tonight and see a show.” Henry pointed upwards in a meaningful way. The two men stood, said their goodbyes and wandered away, their laughter drifting back every so often.

“It sounds like we're going to need to call on Ms. Georgia B.” Mulder said, laying back on his sleeping bag and staring up at the stars. He turned his head towards Scully. “Can you honestly tell me you don't wonder what's out there.”

“Of course I do.” Scully replied, laying stretched out in a similar position. “But I need solid evidence of a thing before I'm going to believe it exists. They are beautiful, though.”

“Yeah. If this suit man is threatening women and omegas, then Mr. Stanley is probably right – he is being watched.”

“I'm glad his mate came back into town today, then.” Scully replied, seriously. “I don't like this. Even if it's a prank, someone could still get hurt. The police should at least be looking into it.”

Mulder completely agreed, and furthermore was doubtful that any of it was a prank, but something else flitted across his mind. “You were looking at the photo at Stanley's. They look like a happy family. ” He paused for a moment, considering. “Do you want a family? I never asked.

Scully shrugged the best he could in a prone position. “I suppose, but...” The silence stretched so long that Mulder thought he wasn't going to continue. “It's hard to get that close to people. I don't like the idea of forming a bond with someone and then having it end.”

“Bonds aren't immutable.” Mulder pointed out gently. “It's true that alpha and omega pairings tend to stay together, but it's not a 100% success rate, either. The individuals are able to readjust, and that's assuming the worst does happen.”

“True, but it's still traumatic, typically more so than a standard divorce or break up. And there are betas...every now and then I'll try dating a beta, but it never feels right. Like there's something missing. What about you?”

Mulder laughed in a self deprecating way. “Me, well, as charming as I am, it isn't easy to find an alpha with a passion for, as you put it, chasing little green men. Though sometimes a ring is useful to keep unwanted alphas at bay.”

“No one should have to resort to that.” Scully snorted, sounding peeved. Mulder was rather touched by the sentiment, even if he had come to terms with the way the world operated a long time ago. He hadn't had to use that trick in quite awhile anyway Over the years he learned how to wrestle with his own impulses and not be so easily cowed into submission.

“I'm sure my superiors would jump for joy if I mated. One less unmated omega out there causing distractions. Not that I was much of a problem, but when you're new, and people don't know you well...they can't legally say or do anything, but you can see it in their faces. 'God I hope that one doesn't go into heat often.' Not that the betas are sensitive enough to tell the difference, but I had to put unmated down on the paperwork. Maybe that's one reason I ended up in the basement.” He joked. “All this time I thought they just didn't like my interest in the unexplained.” 

“The other two alphas I run into regularly at work have mates already. I hate to say it, they just don't approve of your obsession with extraterrestrials.” Scully yawned.

They waited for what seemed an eternity, but everything remained as peaceful as it had before. Crickets chirped, a light breeze blew, the stars continued to shine uninterrupted. They had both crawled into their sleeping bags as the temperature had dropped. “I forgot how chilly it gets at night this time of year.” Scully commented. "Henry and Bert must be made of tougher stuff." Only the top of his head was visible as he had rolled himself into a ball in the bag.

Mulder was inclined to agree. “Just so you know, I'm bringing this up in a completely innocent way. Sharing body heat is a good way to stay warm.”

Scully's head popped out of the sleeping bag. “Are you sure you're comfortable with that?”

“It's better than being cold. Besides, you're not one of those alphas who try take advantage of hormone addled omegas.” Mulder teased, sitting up and unzipping the bag so it could be laid out flat.

“No, I would never do that.” Scully replied with such sincerity that it made Mulder smile. 

“I know. It's one of your better qualities.”

Scully drug his bag over and unzipped it to make a blanket that would cover them both and crawled in next to Mulder. He didn't seem to know what to do for a moment, so Mulder scooted in against his back and looped and arm around him till they were quite snug. Scully was tense for a few minutes and then began to relax as they both warmed up.

“This is better.” He admitted. “Your aliens are late.”

“I think it was worth it just to talk to the dynamic duo across the field.” Mulder was willing to consider the silver lining. There had never been a guarantee that they would see something, but they had a definite starting point the next day with venerable Ms. B. He tired to keep his eyes open as long as , possible, but found himself dozing after awhile before falling into a heavier sleep.

He woke up the next morning as dawn painted the sky in vivid pinks. Scully had rolled over in the night and was now sound asleep with one arm thrown around him and his face pressed into Mulder's chest. He grinned. Who would have thought Scully would turn out to be a cuddler? Granted, while an omega in heat could trigger an alpha's very powerful mating instincts, at any other time their pheromones tended to have a soothing effect. It was believed that this was an evolutionary check to reign in the alpha's more aggressive tendencies. Or Scully really did just like to cuddle.

He moved his hand to Scully's waist and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, rise and shine sleeping beauty.”

Scully jerked. “Herm? Oh, I'm sorry.” He blinked, rubbed his eyes and extricated himself from his partner.

“It's OK. Nobody had to shiver all night. We should go get cleaned up and see if Georgia Blake is home. Even if she is a little eccentric, with other people claiming to have the same experience, it's likely she's telling the truth.”

Scully sat up and stayed still for a few minutes, giving himself a chance to wake up. He finally ran a hand through his hair, yawned and hauled himself to his feet. “We need to send those samples into be analyzed as well, just in case there's some toxin in the soil. I really need to shower.”

They collected their things and trooped back to the car. This time Mulder stifled a yawn as he sank into the driver's seat, the steering wheel chilly under his hands. It was a quiet drive back to the motel with the town just waking up. They trooped off to their separate rooms two doors down from each other to ready for their day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--Mulder's comment about wearing a ring is a shout out to Season 5, Episode 15 where he's wearing a wedding band.
> 
> \--Saying you're mated or unmated on paperwork is the equivalent of saying you're married or single.


	3. The Suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weirdness starts escalating, and Mulder has a close encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this tomorrow, but I have so much stuff to do, it's going up now. I'm hoping to post chapter 4 on Sunday.

Scully began peeling off his clothes, but paused, burying his face in the front of his jacket and inhaling deeply. It smelled like Mulder. He promptly realized what he was doing and dropped the garment on the bed with some embarrassment. Instincts. If you were part of the lucky twenty percent, or unlucky depending on how you looked at it, and born alpha or omega you had the joy of being constantly bombarded with other people's sexual information. The pheromones given off by an omega were always pleasant, but a mated omega's scent would begin to change and attune to his mate and only drive one alpha up the wall. An unmated omega was a natural draw to everyone. It all made sense in terms of evolution as in the case of a mated omega, it helped prevent mate poaching and the violence that was likely to ensue over such a theft, and an unmated omega needed to draw potential mates. Of course in this day and age people shouldn't be bludgeoning each other over mating rights anyway, but the human body hadn't quite caught up with societal progress. You learned to deal with all the data filtering through your system and controlled your impulses, or life would be a constant struggle. 

Scully switched on the shower, grateful for good water pressure. He turned his back to the shower head and let the hot water pound out the kinks from sleeping on the ground. Being clean and in fresh clothes did a lot to revive him. He dressed in a suit this time. If they were going to interview people, it was better to look official.

After sending off the samples for analysis and ignoring the skeptical looks of the police officers, and then grabbing breakfast, they headed out to find Georgia. It would have been less driving to have waited around awhile at the camp ground until it was a reasonable hour, and then gone to see her. However, Scully felt better about not showing up looking like two vagabonds. Georgia's home was a small shabby two story that would probably be quite a cute little place with the application of a few coats of paint and a lawn mower. Mulder knocked on the door. It was quiet for so long Scully wondered if she was even home. Then the door opened just a crack, enough to see one blue eye regarding them suspiciously before the door was slammed back.

“You get away from here right now!” Georgia hollard.

“Ms. Blake, we just want to talk to you. I'm Fox Mulder and this is Daniel --”

“I don't care who the hell you are, get off my property! You don't scare me.” 

“Scully, we're with the FBI. We aren't here to scare you. We're just trying to help.” Mulder called back. 

Scully sincerely hoped Ms. Blake didn't own any firearms as she yelled. “I don't need any of your so called help!”

“Well, you're going to get it anyway. We heard you were being threatened, we want to find this person.” Scully shouted at the door. “Look, we're unarmed.” This wasn't precisely true, but what Georgia didn't know was better for everyone involved. “We aren't going away. Just talk to us, and we'll leave you alone.”

The door cracked open and the eye reappeared. It opened a little bit wider, so that they could see most of Georgia and she could see them. Georgia was holding a baseball bat and looked ready to do damage at any moment. She studied them each in turn. “You, you're alpha, you stay out here. Him I'll talk to.” She gestured curtly for Mulder to follow her inside.

Mulder glanced helplessly at Scully and followed the older woman into the house. With a groan, Scully seated himself on the porch steps and waited.

* * *

Mulder walked into the dim interior firm highly aware that Georgia was right behind him armed with a baseball bat. He made his way down a narrow hall decorated with wallpaper that probably hadn't been changed since the 50's and into the kitchen. Considering there where sharp implements in the room, and Georgia seemed to have a murderous streak, Mulder was wishing he had wandered into the living room instead.

He slowly sat down at the table and folded his hands on its battered and worn surface. Georgia continued to glare at him while she pushed graying dark hair back from her face, but her grip on the bat had relaxed somewhat. “Well?” she began, “you wanted to talk to me, so talk.”

“Maybe if you put the bat down first,” Mulder suggested. “I'm not here to hurt you.” 

Georgia hesitated before leaning the bat up against the table within easy reach and sat down across from Mulder, her eyes not once leaving his face. It was clear that this was the best he was going to get from her. “My partner and I heard from Betsy Ross that she had been threatened by a man in a dark suit, and that she probably wasn't the only one. Bert, one of her neighbors, I didn't get his last name--”

“Donner. Bert Donner.” She sniffed.

“OK, Mr. Donner mentioned that you had a similar experience. If there is someone out there threatening people, we need to know so we can find him.”

“You're really going to sit there with a straight face and tell me you don't know what's going on?” Georgia looked insulted, and she sat back with arms folded across her chest. “You don't know what your own people are doing?”

“How do you know he's one of our people? Did he tell you who he was? Show you identification?” Mulder asked.

Her eyes flicked over Mulder. “He looked like you do. Wore a suit, felt he could do as he pleased, throw his weight around.”

“Ms. Blake, anyone can buy a suit.” Mulder decided not to dignify the rest of Georgia's description with a response.

She seemed to consider this for a moment. “True.”

“If there is someone whose been impersonating a federal agent, we need to find him,” he reiterated.

Georgia sighed. “At first I just had kind of spooky feelings when I was outside alone. Didn't see anything, but felt like I was being watched. Then one night I got a knock on the door. Must've been nearly eleven o'clock. My first thought was someone had car trouble. I have a truck that can haul the little squirty cars out of mud, and it had been rainy. A lot of damn fools decide to go fishing at the lake, park their cars on the grass, and get 'em stuck. But when I opened the door there was a man in a suit standing there just looking at me. He wasn't right in the doorway – he was standing at the top of the porch steps.

He told me I had been talking too much, and should just forget about the lights in the sky. I told him he'd better get lost if he knew what was good for him. But he just stood there and stared, all creepy like, then slowly turned and walked away. I slammed the door, but opened it a few seconds later when I realized there had been no car in the drive. When I looked out again there was no sign of him, and he couldn't have made it all the way down the driveway that fast.”

“Can you describe him at all? Besides the suit.”

“Well...” Georgia began slowly in a way that didn't give Mulder much hope. “He wasn't short. Could've been about your height give or take. Dark hair, white guy. Just looked like a man, really. Nothing special about him.”

“Could you tell if he were alpha, beta or omega?”

“Now that I think of it, no, I couldn't. Kind of strange now that you mention it.”

* * *

Scully sat pondering the madness of the situation, since Mulder could more easily overpower Georgia than he could, yet he was considered the bigger threat due to this status as alpha. As far as Scully was aware, his secondary sex did not grant him superpowers--just an overactive libido waiting to be triggered.

Presently the door opened and then slammed shut again. “I managed not to get brained by Georgia Blake.” Mulder announced. “If I were the man in the suit, I might want to watch out for her, though.” He quickly relayed Georgia's information while they climbed back into the car.

“She just described half the male population of Rosewood.” Scully sighed. “This is getting us nowhere.”

“Maybe not. If this thing, person, whatever--”

“Person, Mulder. Don't even think it.”

“This _person_ , is only approaching women and omegas, maybe he'll come to me. I've been asking questions nonstop since we got here.”

Scully's face took on a worried cast. “I don't know Mulder, I don't like the idea of you being on your own when we don't know what this man's intentions really are. Besides, you're probably more threatening than Spencer's Uncle Jim.”

“I don't know if that last part matters so much. People see what they want to see. Look at Georgia – she knows you're an alpha, and therefore thinks of you as being big, tough, and threatening when you're actually smaller. Me on the other hand, she'll let into her house for no other reason than she _expects_ omegas to be weaker and more submissive. This guy could very well be the same way.”

“He could be like the lights and won't just show up when you want him to,” Scully pointed out.

“It might be a matter of finding the right place to be approached. We know the time frame, we just need the where. I would say we could just stake out Stanley's house, but with his mate back, I'm not so sure the suit is going to show.” 

“Mulder, what's that about?” As they turned back onto Main a police car sped by and turned down Tremont.

“I don't know, but considering that's the Stanley's street I think we better go look.” 

They parked just down from the Stanley's house, and sure enough the couple stood on the porch along with a police officer. Mulder showed his ID to the officer as they walked up the front steps, the couple looking very glad to see them.

“You're the FBI agents Bill talked to yesterday,” the alpha said, extending his hand. His handshake was firm. “I'm Eric. I walked out the door this morning and saw this.” He pointed to a strange pattern that appeared to be burned into the porch just in front of the door.

Scully crouched down by the marking. “It looks like some kind of symbol. The shape is definitely intentional. We need to get a sample and compare it to the damaged foliage in the woods near the lake.”

The officer looked a little puzzled. “Sir, I'm sure this is just an unfortunate case of vandalism.”

“And what if it isn't? Do you want to take the risk of this escalating into something else?” He was becoming annoyed with the police. Yes, he understood that constant UFO reports were an irritation, but this was something solid that had come after a pattern of harassment. “Someone has been threatening people in town – three that we know of definitely, and Bill told us yesterday that he felt like someone was watching the house. Now we have this, which seems a fairly good indication that Bill was correct. If you could have a sample analyzed, _please_. 

The police officer had the decency to look a little embarrassed. Scully straightened up and turned back to the worried looking couple. “Did you see or hear anything strange last night?”

Bill shook his head. “No, and to be honest, with Eric back, I slept the best I had in a week.”

“Could we have a word inside?” Mulder asked, the wheels in his head clearly turning. 

Eric nodded and gestured for them to follow him and Bill into the cozy living room. “We've had the chance to talk to more people, and it looks like this person is more directly confrontational with omegas and women. He might not have actually tried to speak to Bill, since you were home as well. This could be his way of leaving a message. Is there anywhere you can go for a few days until we find out more about this guy?”

“Do you think he's dangerous?” Eric asked.

“We don't know for sure.” Scully replied, trying to catch Mulder's eye. He wasn't exactly sure what Mulder was angling for, but he had the feeling he wasn't going to entirely like it. His partner, however, was pointedly not looking at him. “We can't rule it out as a possibility.”

“We can stay with my sister's family for a little while. She's been wanting us to visit, anyway.” Bill spoke up.

“In that case, I have a favor to ask you.”

* * *

“Mulder, no. If you're going to try and lure this guy out, fine. Using their house isn't a bad idea, but doing it alone? You don't know anything about this person, what he wants, or what he's capable of. I should at least be in the house.” Scully scolded as soon as they were out of earshot.

Mulder turned, walking backwards so he could look at his partner. “If you're there, it's a guarantee he won't approach me. And if he's been watching these people, and it looks like he has, he's going to know if you're there or not. Wait in the car up the street a little. You'll still be able to get to me quickly if you need to.” He stopped and gently took hold of Scully's arms. “I don't know of a better way to do this. Nobody has given us enough to find him by description alone, and he might not even show. But I need to at least try.”

“I've thought this through,” he added. “I'll be sitting on the porch swing with a book and one of those little book lights. You'll be able to see the light from the car. If I switch it off, it means he's here.”

Scully's shoulders slumped in defeat. “That might work,” he grudgingly admitted. 

“It will work. Have some faith.” Mulder released Scully's arms with a smile. His alpha partner was kind of cute when he was being protective, not that Scully wanted to hear that.

* * * 

Mulder sat on the porch swing angled so that one foot was stretched in front of him and the other on the porch floor gently rocking the swing. He looked perfectly relaxed and unconcerned. In reality, he had positioned himself so that Scully could see the glow of the book light from where he was parked in front of the neighbor's house. It was just shy of 10:50PM, and the street was quiet. Many of the houses were dark now, and no one was out walking.

He had a good feeling about this. Of all the people interested in UFOs, he would pose the biggest threat, since he was nosing around in an official capacity. But being omega, the threat wasn't physical. It was all about the information. He flipped a page, not really paying attention to what he was reading. Instead he strained his ears for any sounds other than crickets or a distant car on the main road. He shifted uncomfortably. He had the distinct feeling he wasn't alone, though no one had walked up the porch steps. He could only assume this was what Bill had been experiencing – that crawling sensation on the back of your neck and the compulsive need to look over your shoulder. He looked away from the steps back to the end of the porch, and that's when he noticed it.

A man on the tall side of average, dressed in dark clothes, looking at him. Mulder sat up a little straighter and slowly swung his other leg to the ground. “I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.” He didn't want it to spook and run, but nor did he trust it to come much closer, and somehow 'it' fit better than 'he'. There was no way a man should've been able to make his way onto the porch without Mulder noticing him, and the stillness. No one stood that completely still without incredible effort. After a long moment, the figure took several measured steps closer, boards creaking under foot and at least proving it was truly there and not some phantom.

The face was ordinary, bland to the point that Mulder doubted he would ever be able to pick it out of a crowd. The hair dark, the suit precise. It fixed him with an eerie unblinking gaze. “You,” it said in a low husky voice. “Go home.”

Mulder inhaled and just like he had been told by Betsy and Georgia, smelled nothing. As an omega, he could perceive information as subtle as whether or not a fellow omega was mated, or if an alpha had rutted recently. He should have been able to pick up something, but it was if there was no one there. It was a man shaped olfactory hole.

“I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You've been threatening people.” He spoke conversationally trying to show neither fear nor aggression. He wasn't sure how it perceived him as it cocked it's head slightly to the side and continued to study him expressionlessly.

“This is not your concern. You do not belong here. Go home or --”

“Or else you can't guarantee my safety. Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.” He switched off the book light and slowly laid the book aside. “What are you doing here?” He hoped to keep it talking, and though he wasn't entirely keen to admit it, he hoped Scully hurried. This thing was making his flesh creep and every instinct was telling him to run. It took another half step closer, and Mulder slowly stood bringing himself to his full height. It seemed to hesitate for a moment, its weight rocking back slightly. They remained like that for a long minute, poised as they looked each other over. Mulder just began to move when the thing suddenly turned and ran for the railing and vaulted over into the side yard.

There was no way he could follow it over the railing without landing badly, so he made for the steps. “Scully!” He yelled as he took off after the fleeing figure.

* * * 

Scully had been sitting in the car for nearly forty minutes watching the little pale glow. He was far enough away that he couldn't really make Mulder out very well. The trees in the Stanley's yard blocked too much of the streetlights. He had a bad feeling about the entire thing, though it wasn't technically a terrible idea. In fact, compared to many of Mulder's ideas, it was actually a terrific one. Maybe it was just his alpha instincts yelling at him to go protect the potential mate, or maybe they were being watched, or maybe he had just been spending too much time around Mulder and was picking up his tendency towards paranoia. However, if the man in the suit didn't make an appearance soon, he probably wasn't going to. He glanced down at his watch and nearly jumped out of his skin as a figure smacked up against his driver side window. It was black and faintly glowing.

“What the Hell!” He shoved open the door causing the figure to fall back. Scully launched himself at the 'creature', because this was clearly who it was supposed to be, and that was when the book light turned off. 

He just managed to grab hold of a very human like arm when he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye over to the right.

“Scully!” Mulder yelled as he came pelting around the corner of the house towards the back yard.

Scully made a quick decision, shoved the moron away and ran as fast as he could after his partner. The creature got to it's feet and just stood there in confusion watching the retreating figures disappear into the darkness.

Scully caught up to Mulder who stood panting staring down into where the back yards of the houses came together into one big green space bordered by trees. There was no sign of another person. “Damn it, Scully! That thing is fast. I have no idea where he went. What took you so long?”

“The creature,” he gasped. “An idiot dressed up decided to try and scare me by jumping on the car. I had grabbed him just as you yelled.”

“OK, whatever _that_ was,” Mulder pointed off into the darkness. “It wasn't human.”


	4. Uncertain Motives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The suit's motives have been unclear, but Mulder thinks he's got it figured out. Scully disapproves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this story is now going to be five chapters - I just couldn't wrap everything up into one. It grew bigger than I originally expected. So I'm posting Chapter 4 now, and if I get 5 edited in time, it will go up tomorrow. If not, it will probably be Monday or Tuesday.

“What do you mean, it wasn't human? It was some kind of animal? Wearing... a suit.” Scully was peering up at him as if he had lost his mind.

“I didn't say it was an animal. I said it wasn't human. You didn't see it close up. It just appeared on the porch. And Betsy, Georgia,” he waved a hand to encompass everyone. “They were right. He has no smell. None. At all. And the way it jumped over the porch railing and ran...no human could have done that.”

“I don't know, Mulder. There are some athletic humans that can do amazing things, gymnasts, for instance.” Scully was wearing that look that plainly said, 'Mulder, please get a grip.' As usual, he ignored it.

“That doesn't explain the lack of scent – I mean, I can only dream of having a body wash that good when I go into heat. Nothing works like that. And, I don't think it blinked once the entire time it was staring at me.” He had nearly caught his breath, and he wiped his jacket sleeve across his forehead. Scully was still looking unimpressed.

“OK, the scent thing is odd, I'll give you that. But perhaps it's some abnormality – some genetic quirk that keeps him from releasing pheromones.”

“You didn't see it, Scully.”

Scully sighed. “No I did not. I was having to shove a creature off my car door. Either way, he's gone now.” 

“Speaking of,” Mulder began, looking back towards the car. “I think I see your friend.”

Sure enough some faintly glowing man shaped thing was walking towards them. It resolved into a person, clearly male, wearing a black body suit and mask that had a definite phosphorescent quality to it. Scully drew himself up to his full height and started marching towards the figure. “You there! Come here right now.” 

Mulder didn't need to see its, _his_ , face to tell that his partner had it scared. He was definitely cowering as he slunk forward a bit to meet them. Scully pulled out his badge and shoved it at the guy. He pulled the mask off to reveal a young, suitably frightened face. 

“Whoa! Hey, I didn't know you guys were the FBI people. It was just for fun! Really!” He looked back and forth between them and then in the direction they had been running. “I didn't just... what was that thing, anyway?”

“Fast.” Mulder replied. “Very fast.”

“Do you have any idea what could happen if you run around trying to scare people? What if one of them had a gun?”

“Or a ball bat.” Mulder added, picturing Georgia gamely chasing after the kid.

“Er, sorry, it won't happen again, really.” The boy was looking genuinely alarmed, so Mulder decided to take pity on him.

“Look, go home, get rid of the costume, don't do this again, OK?” 

The kid clearly wasn't about to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth and nodded vehemently. “Going right now. Sorry about jumping on your car!” And with that, he took off at a jog.

“He was just a kid doing stupid kid things,” Mulder said, watching the faint glow disappear down the street. “I doubt he'll try this again.”

“I hope not. We don't need people creating more confusion. We should see if your mysterious runner left any signs of his passing.” They walked back to the car and fished out the flashlights from the night before then switched on the Stanley's porch lights.”

“I had been looking towards the steps – there's no other easy way up on the porch. If you were in really good shape, you could manage it, but not silently.” Mulder pointed to the spot the suit had appeared. Scully walked over to the railing and looked over, scanning the area.

“Unless he had something to stand on, though if he did, it's not here now.”

“When would he have moved it?” Mulder pointed out. “I could feel he was there before I saw him. It's easy to see why Bill was so jumpy about being out alone at night.”

“It's too bad the ground isn't wet – we might've been able to get a shoe print.” Scully sighed. “I hate to say it, but I'm not seeing anything up here at least. “We should get this area secured in case there's anything in the yard that we aren't seeing in the dark. But do me a favor,” he added. “Don't tell the police you think we're looking for anything other than a human male.”

“I wasn't planning to. I don't think they'd be able to catch him, anyway – he doesn't like confrontation, and a bunch of people who are armed? No, they won't get near him.” Mulder sat back down on the swing, and after a moment, Scully joined him.

“The question is, does nonconfrontational mean nonviolent.” Scully stared out into the dark, made even darker by the porch light.

“Not necessarily. There's no telling what he'd do if cornered, and I wouldn't count on the threats being empty. It's just that I don't see him directly attacking someone. I don't know if he's just not sure what our capabilities are, so he's being over cautious, or whatever he is isn't as naturally aggressive as a human.”

Scully buried his face in his hands. “You really do believe this man isn't human.” He sounded more resigned than surprised.

“If you had experienced what I did, I don't think you'd be so quick to disagree with me.”

“But if he were trying to scare you, he could very well put on an act.” 

“In that case we're looking for an Olympic runner with gymnastic abilities and terrible dry eye, since he doesn't blink. Oh, and no pheromones, or at least none that can be detected by other humans.” Mulder leaned back, letting the back of the swing support him. “We should go ahead and get the police out here. There's no way he'll come back tonight, and I doubt I'll be able to lure him out this way again.”

* * *

Scully jerked awake and sat bolt upright at the sudden banging on his door. “Scully wake up! You've got to come see this!”

He blinked and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before making his sleep befuddled way across the room. The little bit of light seeping around the corners of the curtain suggested very early morning. He threw open the door and was brought into immediate and full wakefulness when he was hit with a blast of chilly air. “One second, need a shirt and shoes.” He quickly pulled a long sleeved knit shirt over his head and shoved his feet into his shoes, aware that Mulder was waiting less than patiently.

“What are you doing up so early, anyway?”

“Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go for a run.” They walked the short distance to Mulder's room, and the reason for his excitement became immediately apparent. There was a charred looking symbol on the concrete in front of Mulder's door.

“He didn't waste anytime.” This bothered Scully. He couldn't imagine the symbol as anything other than a threat. It also meant this man in the suit had taken the effort to find out exactly where Mulder slept. “On the other hand, in order to find out exactly which room you've been staying in, he would have had to either ask around, or he's one hell of a spy. Either way, it's likely he might've made contact with someone who works here, or was at least seen. And if his mannerisms are as odd as you say, it's likely they would have remembered.”

“Scully, no one's been able to give a good description, and I don't think I could do much better. It was as if he were designed to be forgettable. He's also been very careful about who he approaches and how.”

“True, but he might have not have a problem talking to a maid.” 

“We can speak to the motel staff, but I think if this guy was hanging around asking questions, we'd probably already know about it. Creepy didn't begin to describe him, or should I say, it.”

“ _Him_ ,” Scully said firmly. “I'm going to get dressed, and we need to check on Betsy and Georgia – if he's realized they were talking to us, it's likely their houses have been marked too.”

* * *

Questioning the housekeeping staff turned out to be a fruitless endeavor, but Mulder had already expected that. However this thing was collecting information, it clearly wasn't having to go around interviewing people. “I wonder what it is they want.” Mulder half said to Scully and half to himself.

“They? I thought there was only one man, last night's creature attack not withstanding.” Scully sounded surprised and a little alarmed at the prospect.

“Sure, I mean, the one that approached me last night might very well be the only one on the ground, but somebody's got to be able operate the space craft.”

Scully suddenly looked like his head hurt. “Mulder--”

“No, wait, Scully, hear me out. The UFO sightings and the man in the suit have to be related. I mean, what are the chances that two very unusual phenomena like this would happen at the same time in the same place and be completely unrelated?”

“ _Mulder_ \--”

“Something had drawn those ships here, but for what purpose? They aren't taking people, they just don't want word of their activities to spread. And last night, it was like talking to someone who was trying to pass as human, but couldn't nail down all the mannerisms – like someone struggling to speak a foreign language, only in this case it's movement, and body language not the spoken word.”

Mulder halted in surprise when he realized Scully had stopped walking. He was standing a few paces behind him with his arms folded across his chest. “Why can't you just accept the fact that not everything that happens is down to aliens?”

“Of course it's not everything – sometimes it's teenage boys in glow in the dark body suits, but this thing is different.”

Scully rolled his eyes. “Sure it is.”

“I sense some sarcasm, Scully.”

“I sense you've lost your mind.” There had to be some explanation, most likely the man in the suit was a more accomplished version of the 'creature.' He was someone good at acting, though it wasn't clear what he stood to gain. “We need to check on Betsy and Georgia. If this guy hit both the Stanley's house and your motel room, it stands to reason he would do the same to them. They were talking to us, after all.”

“You're right. Come on.” They headed back to the car, their disagreement about the nature of the suit put on hold for the time being. 

It was still early by the time they reached Betsy's trailer, especially since Betsy didn't work in the mornings. This would also be the reason she hadn't attempted to contact them or the police. Mulder and Scully stood and stared down at what was becoming a very familiar sight. A door closed somewhere nearby, and Scully turned to see a man walking towards them. Mulder continued to crouch down to study they symbol.

“Can I help you two with something?” The rather scruffy looking man asked with a hint of aggression.

Scully showed him his badge. “We're with the FBI. Did you see or hear anything strange last night?”

“FBI, huh? No, can't say I did. Betsy's been feeling uncomfortable, like someone's been watching her, so when I saw you all, I thought, maybe...” He shrugged. “I haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary, but I know Betsy's not the only one that's spooked. I can't say I like it. Some of us have little kids. I know this place doesn't look like much, but it's always been safe for your kids to go out and play, and we all know each other.”

“The man we're looking for is a little taller than average, medium build, dark hair, late twenties to thirties, has always been seen wearing a dark suit.” 

“With all due respect, sir, you just described your partner.”

Mulder slowly stood. “That's the problem. There's nothing really distinguishing about him except for his mannerisms. You would know if you had met him--”

“What's going on? Did something happen?” A sleepy looking Betsy made her way over wrapped in an old flannel bathrobe. She stopped and stared down at the symbol. “What's that? What does it mean?” Panic creeping in around the edges of her voice.

“It seems that our friend in the suit has been busy. He's been leaving calling cards.” Mulder explained. “I take it you didn't see or hear anything last night.”

Betsy shook her head. “No, nothing.”

Scully lightly touched Mulder's arm and led him a short distance away. Pitching his voice low, he asked, “what do you think this means? Betsy isn't like Bill, she's single – she was alone last night. After you chased after him, it makes sense that he wouldn't approach you again. So why not just knock on Betsy's door?”

Mulder gazed around him. “I don't know. It means something, but there's no way of knowing what. I don't know if it's meant to scare or if he's marking people out. If it's the latter, then I would really like to know what his intentions are. If they're here looking for something and trying to warn people away, then maybe there's a record somewhere of something happening.”

“Like what?” This idea wasn't as preposterous as it might have appeared, once extraterrestrials were removed from the equation. The man in the suit was doing this for a reason and seemed more intent on frightening his victims into silence than anything else. Though how it all tied in to the reported UFOs, Scully wasn't sure.

“Some kind of crash that could be listed as an aircraft or satellite, or even a meteor.”

Scully quickly revised his earlier opinion. “Mulder, do you really think that's the most likely explanation? Is it possible that the man in the suit could be searching for something and have accomplices? Sure. But that doesn't mean that they're aliens!” He hissed the last part in a low voice to make sure the other two didn't here. The last thing they needed to do was accidentally spread more panic.

“Either way we need to do some research.”

* * *

Mulder slipped on his reading glasses. There was nothing like microfiche to give you a pounding headache. He flipped through news stories regarding the building of a new elementary school, town council meetings, road construction, and the high school football team. It appeared that not much happened in Rosewood excepting the recent UFO sightings.

“Mulder, I'm not finding anything.” Scully said from the station next to him. 

“It turns out Rosewood isn't a very happening place.” Mulder sighed. “Of course it's possible whatever happened didn't make the papers.”

“Or nothing happened at all.” Scully pointed out, sitting back and rubbing his eyes. 

They quietly spent another twenty minutes flipping through old papers. Scully suddenly sat up straighter. “I really can't see how this would be related, but there was a meteor shower seven years ago, and some people claimed they saw something fall to earth – it would have landed out in the woods somewhere near the lake, but no one was able figure out exactly where or find anything. But again, I can't see--”

“This is great, Scully, now we're getting somewhere. Does it say who the witnesses were?”

“Um, no, well, they do mention one, and you're not going to believe this, but it's Georgia Blake.” 

Catching sight of Scully's less than thrilled expression, Mulder grinned and said, “since she's met you before, maybe she'll let you in the house this time.”

Whether or not Georgia would see fit to trust Scully inside her domain wasn't to be determined, since this time they caught her outside filling a bird feeder. She regarded them with a resigned expression. “You two again? Can't say I'm surprised. If you're wanting to know if my property has been vandalized like Betsy's, it hasn't. Sat up in the doorway with my bat handy. No man in a suit's coming and visiting me again.”

“Did you see or hear anything?” Scully asked.

“Thought I might've around midnight, but it was too dark to tell. Just thought I saw some movement down towards the bottom of the drive, but it could've been an animal for all I know.” She shrugged and rehung the feeder. “Wouldn't have to fill the damn things so often if the squirrels would stay out.”

“Actually,” Mulder began. “We came to ask you about something else.”

“Oh?” She turned to give them her full attention, curiosity piqued.

“It's about the meteor shower seven years ago. There was a newspaper story that said you witnessed something fall to earth.” Mulder caught Scully glancing up at him, his arms folded across his chest and radiating disapproval. His partner might not want to believe it, but Mulder was positive he was onto something, that events were starting to make sense.

“Now that's an interesting question coming from the likes of you.” Georgia was watching them shrewdly now, taking in Mulder's earnest expression and Scully's reticent body language. “Why would you be wanting to know about that?” It might have been framed as a question, but it was clear that Georgia was not in the least bit surprised. Instead she had the air of someone who just had something confirmed. 

“Since the man in the suit seems concerned with keeping people away from the woods, we're trying to find out if anything of interest happened there.” Scully spoke up in a professional tone of voice. It was clear to Mulder that his partner was trying to find a tactful answer that didn't directly involve the UFOs he so stubbornly disbelieved in. However, it was clearly the wrong thing to say to Georgia who took a step forward into Scully's personal space.

“Now look here, I may not be as young as you, or have the fancy job that you have, but I'm not stupid, so cut the crap. I don't have the time for it.”

“Ma'am,” Scully began in a calm no no nonsense voice. “I am telling you the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but I ask you to not impede our investigation. There is someone out there who is a possible threat to you and others, and we need to find him.”

Georgia seemed taken a back and was about to respond when Mulder cut in. “He's right. If you have any information, even if it seems unimportant, we need to know.”

Some of the fight seemed to leave her then. “Since this stretch of road is a bit out from town, it makes a nice place to see the stars. I was watching the meteor shower. I'm sure there were others out at the campground, but I couldn't tell you who. It did look like something fell to earth that night. I went poking around a bit, but never found anything. Some other folks did too – it was a favorite past time of the kids that summer. The woods there aren't large, but they get pretty dense, and the trails don't go too far in, so who knows. Whatever it was couldn't have been too big, or else there would've been some obvious sign.”

“If we had a map of the lake area, could you show us where you looked?” Mulder asked.

“Well, I never went too far off the trails. It gets to be tough going out behind Beecher's – that's the farm on the other side of the campground. No one ever bothered to put in trails back there, because the Beecher at that time was wrangling with the city over property boundaries, and no one wanted to get caught trespassing. He was a mean one. His daughter and son-in-law run the place now, and they seem like decent enough folks. The land back behind there is pretty well untouched since it was tied up in lawsuits. I've always thought perhaps it landed back in there. If it were close to the lake, someone would probably of run across it.”

“Thank you, Ms. Blake, that is very helpful.” Mulder smiled. He turned to Scully. “I think it's time to make friends with more of the neighbors, what do you think?”


	5. The Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder thinks he knows where the object is hidden, but the man in the suit isn't so easily caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter for real this time. Thanks to everyone for the hits, kudos, and comments. Now that this story is finished, I'm going to stick these into a series to keep some sense of chronology moving forward.

“Mrs. Nelson?” Mulder asked when a young very pregnant woman opened the door. “We're with the FBI. We need access to the woods behind your property.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “FBI? I thought Henry was exaggerating. Sure, that's fine. It's pretty overgrown back there.” She motioned for them to follow and headed for the back of the house. “You've probably already heard about the wrangling that's been going on with the city. It's not such a big deal to me and Jim. But, we do want some buffer between our property and the public land. We're working out a deal, but nothing's been done with it in a long time.” They walked back through a paddock that held two horses who glanced at them before going back to picking through the grass.

“There used to be an old trail for horseback riding, you can see it here, but the further back you go, the more overgrown it is. There's also a small swampy area, just to warn you – you don't want to go falling into it. If you get lost, just look for the old fence posts. The fence itself is pretty well gone, but a lot of the posts should still be standing. If you follow them you'll either end up back here or out by the lake. I won't be leading you back, not carrying this bulk.” She rubbed her round belly. 

“Understandable.” Scully smiled. He turned back to Mulder. “OK, lets avoid falling into any swamps.”

“Swampy area. It's probably pretty small. Still, aren't you glad we went back and changed clothes?”

“This is like searching for a needle in a haystack.” Scully commented, stepping over a tree root and narrowly missing a low hanging branch. “The area around the lake was much smaller.”

“True, but right now this is the best lead we have. And on the bright side, we know it can't be too far from the lake, since that's where all the activity is centered. Most likely, it isn't far, just hard to get to.” Mulder held a cluster of branches aside for Scully. “Also, the woods are cut off by the road on the other side of Beecher's, so what we're looking for is going to be between Beecher's and the lake.”

“That better, I suppose, but I'm not sure how this is going to help. I can't see how there would be this much interest over a piece of meteorite.”

“That's because you're assuming it's a meteorite. Careful, it's easy to slip here.” Mulder warned as he carefully picked his way down a small but steep hill. The trail was deteriorating fast. He offered Scully his hand to steady the smaller man as he slid down the incline. 

“Mulder, I don't want to be out here chasing after nothing when the man in the suit is out there.”

“I understand, but we aren't going to catch him that easily. We need to get ahead of him, and with out a doubt everything points to him being interested in something that's in these woods. What's amazing to me is that something of probable extraterrestrial origin is out here, and no one knows about it.”

“That's because there isn't anything of extraterrestrial origin, or not in the way that you mean it.” Scully found himself at something of a loss. There was a definite connection between the man in the suit, the strange lights, and the woods around the lake. However, he sincerely doubted it was anything related to aliens. But what could it be? It was difficult to find something when you weren't even certain what you were looking for. He hoped to find signs of people having been in the area, but nothing seemed to suggest it.

They walked for another ten or so minutes before the smell of stagnant water reached Scully's nose. “That must be the swampy area up ahead.”

Mulder suddenly held up his hand, and they both came to a halt. “Shh. Listen.”

Scully strained his ears, but didn't hear anything at first. Then there was the sound of twigs breaking, then nothing. Then came a rustling of leaves and silence again. He found himself hunching his shoulders unconsciously and forced himself to relax. The sense of being watched was intense. Scully reached out and laid his hand on Mulder's back, edging closer while searching for the source of the feeling. He saw nothing.

“Mulder,” he hissed. 

“I know. Let's keep going. We'll turn right at the swamp and make our way back towards the lake,” he whispered. “There are two of us. If we stay together, we should be OK.” 

They continued forward until they hit an open area filled with marshy ground and standing water. “There's no easy way to see what's in there. We have no idea how deep that is, and we can't have people dredge this when we don't even know what it is we're looking for.” Scully commented, trying ignore the crawling feeling between his shoulder blades.

 

“However, if the object was large, and it did fall into this area, it would displace the water.” Mulder said, thinking out loud.

Scully moved a few paces away towards the edge of the morass and inspected the trees bordering the mud and water.

“It does look like the water level may have risen fairly recently, but they could've had a rainy spring here.”

“Yeah, but summer should have shrunk this area, and as far as I know they haven't had an unusual amount of rain lately.” Mulder picked his way over to Scully and scanned the area.

Scully dropped his voice to a whisper. “It still feels like we're being watched, or am I just being paranoid?”

“You're not paranoid, Scully. This is exactly what it felt like when I was sitting on the porch right before the man appeared.”

“Look over there where those logs are, it looks like they've been broken.”

Scully felt Mulder's hand come to rest on his shoulder. “Unfortunately, you're right. We don't have a good way to search this area, but it would make a lot of sense if this were the spot. People could go combing through the woods all they want, they'd never see it.” He looked up into a sky that was now tinged with pink. “We'd probably better head on, so we don't end up getting lost out here after dark.”

“OK” They skirted the swamp, walking in the direction of the lake. The sensation of being watched began to abate shortly before they came upon one of the main trails that led to the lake itself. The sky was bathed in pinks and oranges by the time they came out onto the camp ground.

The experience had been an interesting one, but Scully wasn't sure if it put them ahead. In the end, he still felt as if they were grasping at straws.

* * *

Mulder had just gotten into clean clothes when his phone rang. “Mr. Mulder?” The voice on the phone was female and frightened.

“Yes, Betsy? Is that you?”

“Yes, I think he's out there. The man. I was just taking out the trash, and had the worst feeling. I ran back in, and when I looked out the window I saw him standing there looking at me. I looked away, looked back and he was gone.” 

“OK, stay put, we'll be right there.”

He quickly pulled on his shoes and jacket and was out the door. Scully seemed unsurprised when he relayed the news. “Good, maybe this time we can actually find him.” It was fully dark now, and Mulder switched on the brights when the road turned rural and twisty. It was cooler that night, and while the trailers all had lights on, no one was hanging around outside. Mulder also considered the fact that they may have been afraid to – not because of anything specific, but the creepy feeling of not being alone, of being watched. Humanity might have diverged from much of the animal kingdom and were less in touch with their instincts, alpha and omega mating habits aside, but people still had them, could still on some level sense danger. 

“Oh thank, God.” Betsy gasped out when she let them in. “I caught sight of him again before you got here.”

They squeezed into the small, but tidy area. “I saw him out the kitchen window first.” Betsy pointed to the window over the little sink at the front end of the trailer. “The second time it was out the window over the sofa. I stopped looking after that. That man makes my skin crawl. There's something not right about him.”

“Scully, stay here with Betsy. I'm going to have a look around.”

“Is that a good idea? He might be more likely to approach you.” Scully pointed out. 

“I'll be alright. If you're here with Betsy, he most likely won't try to come up to the trailer. If he will come to me, maybe I can try to communicate with him.” Though the suit represented possible danger, and Mulder was not going to underestimate it, he still believed that it was intentionally holding back from using force. It could, perhaps, be reasoned with.

“That didn't work out so well last night.” Scully was starting to look mutinous. “We could call for backup.”

“Hold off on that. If you need to leave Betsy, call the cops. But once they arrive, we'll have no chance of catching him. He'll be gone.” With that, Mulder headed out the door.

He moved around to the back side of the trailer where the shadows were darker. It seemed unusually quiet, considering it was still relatively early. He walked down to the end and peered around the back. Gravel crunched somewhere near the opposite end of the trailer. Mulder swung around and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He knew he was no longer alone. He stood stock still, listening. Again, gravel faintly skittered. His entire body was wire tight. Movement, this time closer. He peered into the shadows, and one shadow seemed darker than the rest. A paler face resolved from the darkness.

It moved slowly closer before stopping again and continuing to fix Mulder with an intense stare. Mulder quickly considered his options. He could wait and see if it would move closer to him, or he could make the first move. If it ran, and it probably would, there was no way he'd be able to catch up on foot, though the car keys rested in his pocket. 

“You were in the woods with us today.” Mulder said, trying his best to sound calm and steady.

As before, it continued to stare at him. Something felt different this time, but Mulder couldn't put his finger on what it was. It finally took another three steps closer. “I told you to leave.” Its tone wasn't accusatory, it wasn't anything. Emotionless, expressionless, and devoid of any meaning outside of its literal words.

“But I belong here.” Mulder replied, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. The night before felt eerie. This felt menacing, but whether it intended to scare or harm, Mulder wasn't sure. However, considering the thing's speed and agility, he knew he was at a disadvantage. He squared his shoulders and attempted to make himself seem more imposing. He moved by circling around to the side, but keeping the same distance. It turned with him on the spot never once looking away from Mulder's face. “You need to leave these people alone.”

Within a few eye blinks it was suddenly careening into him. Mulder grunted at the physical impact as he was knocked off his feet. He scrambled up, heart pounding to see it standing back from him. It then turned and ran.

“Scully!” Mulder shouted, pelting after it. He was certain he knew where it was headed, at least roughly. But if it made it into the woods, it was unlikely Mulder would be able to track it. With that in mind, he went for the car.

* * *

Scully ran to the door as soon as he heard Mulder's shout. Unfortunately, by the time he got out of the trailer, his partner was driving off with the car. “Damn it, Mulder! Wait!” He made a strangled sound of frustration.

“Here, borrow my car.” Betsy pressed the keys into Scully's hand. “I'll call the police.”

“Thanks, make sure to lock the door. Call a neighbor to stay with you, if you need to.” Scully called over his shoulder as he quickly unlocked the little Nissan. He slid into the seat and fumbled with the seat belt. His first impulse was to say he couldn't believe Mulder would just take off like that, except he could completely believe Mulder would, and it wasn't the first time. 

Luckily there was no one around as he sped out of the trailer park. He almost turned into the camp ground, but changed his mind. It was more likely they were headed for Beecher's. He was proven correct as he turned into the drive and saw not only Mulder's car, but Mulder himself illuminated by the nearly full moon dashing towards the woods.

Scully flung himself out of the car as soon as it was in park. “Mulder!” He shouted. At least Mulder had a flashlight. He could see the light bobbing ahead. The horses must have been taken in for the night, because the gates were open and he could run straight through. He hit the trail and was forced to slow a little as the trees blocked much of the moonlight. He continued to follow the light from Mulder's flashlight. He slipped going down the incline and ended up sliding down on his backside. He quickly struggled to his feet and continued on, a stitch starting to form in his side.

Branches scraped against him, and he nearly tripped several times over vines and tree roots as the trail virtually disappeared. He had a moment when he wasn't certain where he was and couldn't see Mulder's light. Then he smelled it – the swampy area had to be directly ahead. He slowed down, not wanting to fall into the sucking mud. Suddenly the trees parted to make way for the muck and standing water. 

“Mulder!” he called out, coming to a halt next to his partner. Then he looked up. “Oh my, God.” 

Far above them two lights danced. They had to be attached to something, but Scully couldn't tell what. They didn't move like any kind of aircraft Scully had ever seen. “What are they?”

“They're beautiful, aren't they?” Mulder breathed. Leaves rustled to the side as a man-shape moved rapidly out of the shrubs and trees.

“Hey!” Scully yelled, but was forced to stop and shield his face from suddenly blinding light. His eyes watered, and the cool air felt summer warm.

Scully groaned and slowly sat up from where he had been lying on the ground. He looked around in confusion. “Mulder?”

“Yeah?” There was a rustling a short distance away as Mulder managed to pull himself up into a sitting position.

“What happened? There was light. I think there was light. Was there light?”

“I don't remember. But my watch stopped at ten twenty-two.” He sounded excited.

Scully groaned. “Oh no, not the time business again.”

“But Scully--”

“Where's the man in the suit?” Scully interrupted having heard the lost time spiel before on several occasions.

“I don't know, but I think he went home.”

“What makes you say that?”

Mulder groped around for the flashlight and flashed it out over the marsh. Look, everything's been disturbed. Two of the logs are gone and the other moved. If we come back tomorrow when it's light, I guarantee the water level will be lower.”

“Ugh,” was all Scully could muster as he slowly pulled himself up. He stood on legs that shook slightly as Mulder performed the same movement.

“Come on, he's gone.”

They slowly made their way back to Beecher's. As fast as he had made his way to the swamp, the return trip felt like an eternity. Mulder grabbed his arm and hauled him up the incline, and he managed to save Mulder from whacking his head on a branch. Scully sighed with relief when they made the main trail and the paddock came into view. Scully half expected one of the owners to come storming out to demand what was going on, but the house was dark. 

When he turned on Betsy's car, he glanced at the clock and did a double take. He had arrived at the farm a few minutes after ten, but it was now three thirty in the morning. What exactly had happened? Betsy stumbled out of the trailer as soon as they pulled in.

“Are you two OK, did you get him?”

“Not exactly,” Mulder replied. “But I don't think he'll be back to bother you again. I think he found whatever it was he was here for.”

They stepped inside the trailer to give some kind of explanation to the police officer who had been waiting for them. Scully wearily sank down onto the sofa unsure what to think. Mulder tapped his shoulder. “Come on, let's get back to the motel. We've done all we can for the night.”

When they climbed out of the car again and stepped into the light, Mulder stopped Scully and turned his face towards him. “You have a burn.”

“Huh?” Scully felt his face which was slightly warm. 

“You're pink.”

“Oh. Well, I sunburn easily. It comes with the hair and freckles.” He pointed out wearily.

“In the middle of the night?”

“It must have been from earlier.” But if he was being honest with himself, Scully had to admit that he didn't recall getting a sunburn that afternoon. “Mulder, are you going to be OK tonight? We don't really know if this man is gone or not.”

“I'll be fine, Scully. I don't think he's coming back, and look at it this way. We were unconscious for several hours. If he wanted to hurt us, he would've done more than give you a sunburn.” Scully still looked unsure, so Mulder gave him a gentle push in the direction of his room. “Go on and get some sleep.”

* * *

_It appears that the strange behavior of the suspect was intended to inspire fear in order to keep people away from a section of woods. The man and what ever accomplices he had, seemed to be searching for something in that area._ All true so far. That was one thing Scully, Mulder and the local police agreed on. He continued typing. _It remains unclear as to what item they were after other than it had been hidden in a marshy area that was difficult to access._

_The lights seen in the sky remain unexplained, though Agent Mulder believes them to be of extraterrestrial origin. There is, however, no definitive proof that this is the case. Both the lights and the threats made against residents ceased after the night of September ninth. It is possible the lights were part of the same elaborate hoax to frighten the populace, but there is no way of knowing for certain. The samples taken of the soil and damaged foliage found in the woods is inconclusive. There were no signs of any toxins and it remains unclear as to what caused the damage._

_While the basic motives of the suspect are evident enough, parts of this case still remain unexplained._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The swampy section in the woods comes from the swampy area in the woods back behind my grandparents' house when I was a kid. I probably remember it as being bigger than it actually was.


End file.
